


The King and the Lionheart

by boombayah



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Eventual Smut, Fluff, Hybrid!June, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, enemies to friends to perhaps more you get me?, it gets quite dark at some points in the story, past emotional/psychological abuse, settle in peeps, slowburn, woho!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-22 07:26:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11962578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boombayah/pseuds/boombayah
Summary: Bobby wants to be in control of his life. Junhoe wants to be brave.





	The King and the Lionheart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> **Thunderstruck**  
>  _[thuhn-der-struhk]_
> 
>  
> 
>    
> overcome with consternation; confounded; astounded:

   

 

 

Have you ever died before?

It’s a serious question.

When the illusion of self is shattered you simply… cease to be. It may not seem that way to others, but you know when it’s true. You can feel it, a stranger in your own body, an impostor… and after that nothing is ever the same again.

Bobby has died two times, and he would die many more times, that he could be sure of. Each time it had changed him, created someone he was never really familiar with - a stranger even to him. It is odd, isn’t it? How something can change you so? The change of a house, a new friend or an experience that you never really expected to live through. All those small contributing factors to the brand new you and sometimes you don’t even know that you’re changing until the day reality comes and punches you in the face.

Bobby’s fingers linger around the paper mug of steaming coffee - the slow jazz music soothing to his ears as he has settled by the window in one of the local coffee shops. Rain was supposed to wash away the old - to bring something new, but everytime it rains Bobby can still see the skid marks from last week’s accident stark against the asphalt. After the rain, the air is always heavy with the stench of drenched asphalt and concrete and it is only after an hour or two that you can smell the crisp and fresh air. Change comes with time, he thinks, and he wonders how long he will have to wait after the thunderstorm to notice a change in his own life.

He has always enjoyed the rain, tried to see it from a new perspective after his grandmother had told him that it meant new beginnings and fresh starts. ‘Rain washes away the bad’, she had said. Ain’t it foolish how superstitious you are as a kid? Bobby had believed her up to the point where reality came kicking down his door and the rain no longer offered the comfort it had done when he was a kid. It never washed away the bad, it didn’t bring new beginnings - Bobby was left to suffer through the endless torture of teenage life.

Change comes when you’re willing to put an effort to do something about the shitty life you’re living. It had taken Bobby many years to realize that - he had dwelled in his own misery, desperate for something to go right in his life; it was only when he put his mind into it that things had started to change. Life had thrown him curveballs, some fucking twisted ones at that, and there were times when he was fucking tired of it all but he pulled through for better or for worse. Now he’s sitting here in the middle of the night in an empty café working. His gaze shifts to the laptop next to him - he had been ignoring it for too long, all of his attention locked on the pouring rain outside. Lyrics are hard, they take experience and dedication, meant to form words that will not only mean a lot to him, but to the people listening to the songs as well. When it is close to two in the morning, somehow the words he has written down makes little sense.

He likes this place, old and classy - records hanging on the brick walls and the scent of cardamom and cinnamon lingering in the air since this morning’s baking. It reminds him of his grandmother and when she used to bake during the early hours of the morning. She, however, had a slight tendency to burn her pastries; not that Bobby had minded when he was so little. He had simply shoved an entire bun down his throat with minimal chewing and instantly regretted it the moment he started to choke - he wasn’t the brightest kid, because it continued to happen.

Bobby shifts in his chair, the old wood creaking beneath his weight. His gaze lingers on the blonde next to him and a heavy sigh falls from his lips. Donghyuk wasn’t much help - the younger had been nagging about coming with him to the writing session at the café, yet as Bobby shifts to ask him how far he’s gotten, the other had somehow managed to fall asleep. Bobby considers waking him up to warn him about having his cheek pressed against the inked paper - but nah, it’s not really his problem. It’s not like Donghyuk hadn’t pulled his fair share of pranks on Bobby either - he had to suffer through endless pranks and silly jokes that even this pales in comparison to that.

Donghyuk is quite the opposite of Bobby, he had figured - he’s bright, almost too bright, mouth pressed into a constant smile on his face and eyes carrying a certain light that Bobby himself has been missing for quite a few years. Sometimes when Bobby is lying awake in his apartment, staring into the ceiling, he wonders what he has done to deserve someone like Donghyuk - Bobby doesn’t talk about his problems, but somehow Donghyuk manages to figure out the right words to say or the right things to do to make his days a little easier. He’s a blessing - and Bobby’s fairly certain that Donghyuk is doing more for him than he’s doing for Donghyuk. It’s shameful, but Bobby isn’t a people person and he certainly is not good at reading body language - he says the wrong thing at the right time and just like his father he tends to make a situation worse. It’s a constant curse that is following him around.

He hates the saying ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ - he has heard it so many times; he looks like his mother, he talks like his father, he has the same interests as his grandmother. No matter what people he meets - he never seem to be his own person and it has haunted him for most of his life. The one that stung the most and always will is the classic; you act like your father. It was Donghyuk, ironically, who had dropped that one on him and it was the punch that had opened his eyes. He will forever owe Donghyuk for that, for giving him the final push to change - without him he wouldn’t be sitting here, doing what he loves, without Donghyuk, Bobby’s not sure that he even would’ve existed today.

It’s a harsh reality, but knowing the mindset and the state he had been in, it wouldn’t surprise him.

“Hey, Dong,” he nudges him in the side, the blonde groaning loudly in protest of being torn out of his peaceful slumber - the sound of the rain probably knocking him out completely. Bobby was the arsehole who had the balls to disturb him. “I’m done. I’m guessing you are too?” It takes him a moment to figure out where he is, eyes squinting as he looks up at Bobby.

“Uh, yeah… I think so,” his computer is already dead, died not too long after he had fallen asleep. “What time is it?”

“Two-thirty,” Bobby responds with a simple glance at his wrist watch. Donghyuk groans again and Bobby remembers a quick mention of ‘early dance practice’ and he feels kind of bad for dragging the younger along.

“Oh, oh yeah - I better get going,” he still sounds half asleep as he gathers all his things. He fixes his snapback, pulls on his jacket and then stands still, gaze traveling across the table to see if there is anything he’s forgotten. “See you tomorrow?”

“You know it,” Bobby pushes out a smile as he too starts to gather his stuff. Donghyuk has always been more organized than him - he knows where all of his things is whilst Bobby likes to claim that he has an organized mess, especially when it comes to his desk and studio. Jinhwan always tries to nag at him for not cleaning and once Bobby caught him attempting to clean his studio - let’s just say that day was not a good day and Bobby rather forget all about it.

“Hey - Jinhwan asked me to ask you if you’re in the mood for drinks tomorrow evening, Friday and all, you know,” Donghyuk says as he zips his jacket closed. “Well, drinks for him and Yunhyeong at the very least,”

“Nah,” Bobby declines, “I have other plans,” Donghyuk’s eyes narrows because he sure can spot a lie when he hears one, but he drops it anyway, probably too tired to even bother to discuss the matter.

It’s pouring when he steps outside - thunder rumbling above him in the dark skies and he stops for a moment to take a deep breath. There’s a slight shill in the air even though it’s June and Bobby even zips up his jacket. There’s a short walk to his apartment complex, fifteen minutes at the max, so the rain doesn’t really bother him that much as he walks down the street. His snapback offers little protection but keeps the water out of his eyes.

Night walks was something he used to do a lot a few years ago - perfect to clear his mind when there weren’t many people around. It gave him a chance to think and a chance to reflect and dream a little bigger about the shitty life he was living. He had been walking around the block for what had felt like hours - just thinking and soaking in the stillness that would be disrupted by the chaos that would ensue the moment the sun rose in the sky. He reaches into his pocket, fingers moving on automatic as he takes out a cigarette and lights it.

Of course, the night also brings out the less pleasant people, something he was painfully reminded of as he spotted the small gang of teenagers coming down the sidewalk. They’re loud and obnoxious and exactly the kind that annoys Bobby the moment he spotted them tipping over a dumpster. Ah, yes - the teenage rebels. He’s all too familiar with that type. He might only be in his early twenties, but those teenage years were both a fucking curse and a blessing because without them, he wouldn’t be where he was today.

His breath is knocked out of him the moment one of them walks straight into him, shoulder purposefully shoving at him to move him aside.

“Watch where you’re going, asshole!” he yells at him and Bobby is so close to walk after them as they laugh loudly, but stops himself from doing so. Picking a fight with fucking twinks is not something he’s interested in - besides, they would more than love to gang up on him was he to follow. It’s not his first rodeo.

Fucking punks. Bobby glares at them as they run off - shoulder aching from the harsh push. His gaze falls to the cigarette that had fallen out of his mouth and he groans loudly - it’s already out, small streak of smoke rising toward the dark skies above. That was the only one had left until he could get more in the morning. Fucking typical.

 A whimper tears through the still air - something that makes Bobby halt. It’s a loud and painful one, certainly not human and as Bobby shifts to try and see where the hell it was coming from - his blood freezes to ice in his veins and all hope for humanity goes out the window. There’s a group of kids in the side-alley he was about to pass.

“Hey!” He yells out, anger roaring alive in his chest, “What the fuck are you doing?” he yells, tossing his bag to the side and feet running toward the small group. He can tolerate a lot of shit, but this he can’t ignore. They see him, alarm in their eyes and they run off in the other direction like scared fucking hens. “Hey!” he’s about to run after them, to try and snag one of the idiots and call the cops, but he stops as he reaches the poor dog they had beaten. No - his heart aches at the mere sight of it. It’s whimpering, pressing up against the wall, sad and tormented eyes following Bobby’s every move. It’s a Husky, which is a rare sight in itself - Bobby surely never has seen one in Seoul before. Its fur shifts between black and white, cold blue eyes staring into his soul.

People are fucking monsters - it’s a thought that has constantly passed through his mind throughout his years on this earth, but it’s coming more and more evident the older he gets. He kneels down, keeping a safe distance away from the dog - he doubts it’s going to attack in the state it’s currently in, but he doesn’t want to cause it further stress.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he tries, unsure of what to do. Bobby has never really been an animal type of guy and animals certainly had never really liked him either for that matter - but even he isn’t cold hearted enough not to care about this. There’s a chain around the dog’s neck and as Bobby’s gaze follows it, he realizes that it has been wrapped around a pipe going up the building. He can’t tell if it was those fucking asshole kids that had chained it there, or if someone else did, but what truly sets deep cracks in his heart is the leather belt that had been fastened around it’s mouth, most likely to keep it from attacking. This is just… this is painful to see.

He moves slowly toward the dog - its whines quickly turning into growls, demeanor turning stiff and Bobby’s pretty sure that if it didn’t have that leather belt around its mouth, it would’ve attacked him. He can’t imagine how scared it must be - having three or four punk-ass kids kicking at it and having no way to run or defend itself.

“I’ll remove the belt, okay?” it’s tight and he doesn’t know how long it’s been there - the dog looks skinny and it might very well be a stray judging on how dirty it looks, but it could also be because of the rain. The dog is still growling loudly, but perhaps it kind of knows what it is that he’s trying to do as his fingers lock around the belt. It’s watching him intently, watching every single move he’s making. It’s tight - so tight that Bobby can’t simply slide it off, so he tries to figure out the buckle instead. The low whine that escapes the dog’s throat as he tightens it to be able to get it off tears at him - he doesn’t want to cause it further pain. It takes only a second after he gets it off before Bobby jolts backward as the dog snaps after him, teeth clashing together only mere millimeters away from his arm.

“Fuckin’ christ,” he gasps out, scrambling up from the wet ground. The dog isn’t leaping after him, which only leads him to believe that those idiots probably harmed it - it’s still pressing close to the wall and not really standing up. It snapped at him because he was about to touch it. If it had been Bobby stuck in that situation he would’ve been just like that too.

Bobby opts for trying to lose the chain - leaving the dog there would be cruel. Once he got it loose he could call the cops and inform them about what had happened. Should the kids return, at least the dog would be able to get away if it needed to. He heads toward the pole and it takes him a good minute to loosen it enough. How they managed to get the chain in between the pipe and the wall was beyond him because he had to give the pipe a good tug to get the chain out. It falls to the ground with a heavy clank. The thought of the dog jumping him crosses his mind only for a split second before he turns to look at it. It growls at him the moment it notices that he’s looking. Bobby raises his hands in surrender as he bends down to grab his bag, fingers already trying to find his phone in his pocket to call the police. He’s done what he can and there is little more he can offer to a hostile and scared dog - he’s not going to risk potentially injuring himself, or catching a disease or something.

The cops arrive surprisingly quickly - Bobby can hear the sirens as he’s heading home. The kids most likely ran for the hills - but hopefully they would be able to get the dog some help. Bobby is no professional, him staying there wouldn’t have helped much. He told them where the dog was, what injuries it seemed to have, and that was it. He has no obligations to stay - it’s not his dog, it didn’t look to be anyone’s really.

As he gets home he hops into the shower - desperate for some warmth after the cold rain had soaked him through to the bones. The last thing he wants is to catch a cold, especially now, when he had so many bigger things to look forward to. Sickness would be a hindrance, for sure. He stands there for a good five minutes, savoring the heat that he so desperately needed. There is a certain happiness that bubbles up in his chest as he thinks back to his day - especially when he thinks about the good news he had gotten from his boss. Everything he had been working for, all the shit he had been through had led him up to this moment, and he feels proud; proud over himself and for sticking with it.

Had someone told his teenage self that one day he would be doing music and standing on the big stages he would’ve laughed in their faces and yelled ‘hell no’, because there was no way that the scrawny little Jiwon would be able to pull that off. It kind of feels like a dream as Bobby steps out of the shower, it hasn’t properly sunk in yet.

He can’t help but to think about the dog as he settles into his bed - he hopes it’s okay. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to leave it there alone, but he tries to tell himself that there was nothing he could do. Staying there with a feral dog would benefit none of them and he had already been close to having teeth sink into his arm. He might not be an animal type of guy, but he sure isn’t cold hearted - he can’t even fathom what had gone through those kids minds as they kicked that dog. Heartless monsters, he thinks, and really fucking stupid. Bobby kind of hopes that there had been CCTVs nearby, he hopes that the kids get the punishment they deserve for doing shit like that.

Life is bullshit - Bobby figured that out long ago. He has settled into a routine - he gets up, makes himself coffee with a double shot because let's face it, he’s not a morning person. He goes to work, spends most of the day there and sometimes even the nights, he goes back home and sleeps and then it starts over again. It’s a good routine, but most of all, it’s a _safe_ one. Safe, he likes that. Routines keeps him in check. Which is exactly why Jinhwan’s message made him uneasy. He was still unsure about the party.

He’s leaning against the counter, sipping on his coffee - the sun barely rising over the rooftops. It’s the still and quiet mornings that he likes, he’s feeling at ease, slightly tired but still ready for a new day. It’s Friday and he has the entire weekend off - it has been a stressful week and he’s deserved some rest after working past hours.

He stares at the message Jinhwan sent him about the whole ‘you better show up or else’ ordeal and he wonders if the older might secretly be the devil in disguise. It adds up, he’s tiny and with a cute face but freakin’ downright evil at times. The threat is very real and he knows the other will show up at his doorstep and drag him by his ear because he has been declining going out for the past four months now. He’s been busy, or at least that’s what he’s trying to tell himself. He’s not a party person, he used to be, but he rather not be reminded about how that whole thing turned out in the end. Bobby sighs, going against his better judgement and sending a simple thumbs up.

The air is crisp as he steps out, the rain doing its thing and Bobby sucks in a deep breath. It’s still early enough to be calm out on the streets, he’s catching the bus before the rushing hours which is what he tends to do. Rush hours are stressful as hell and Bobby always finds that he has to walk home instead because the bus is always full. It’s his luck really and he doesn’t really mind walking home when he’s been sitting still for most of the day making music.

Bobby lingers by the side-alley where the dog had been and he’s not too surprised to see that it is no longer there, and neither is the chain. Hopefully the police or the vets had managed to find it and it’s receiving treatment. He makes a mental reminder that he has to call in and hear if they managed to find it - the guilt still lingering in his chest as he spots the belt that had been tied around it’s mouth. Man, why didn’t he stay just long enough for the cops to show? It’s too late to feel bad about it now, so he walks on, hurrying down to the bus before it has a chance to leave.

He’s so busy thinking about that dog that he completely misses the person walking toward him - bumping into him so hard that his body twists to the side.

“Oh, I’m sorry, man,” he is quick to apologize, because he has fucking manners. It’s a younger guy he walked into, hair black and crisp blue eyes staring back at him - a Hybrid he realizes.

“No worries,” is all he says before he continues down the street. Hybrids have become quite a normal thing now, but Bobby’s still not completely sold on the idea of having one. He remembers Yunhyeong mentioning something about his parents having one that helped with chores and things like that to keep the restaurant up to par. He’s heard some horror stories too, some that make him shudder by the mere thought of them.

He shoves his hands into the pockets of his jacket - the shill air starting to sting his fingers, but as he does so, his heart skips a beat. He’s sure he put his wallet in his jacket - absolutely sure. Bobby halts, hands searching through every single pocket he has only to come to find that no, there was no wallet on him anymore. He spins around, gaze trying to locate the Hybrid he had bumped into but to no surprise, he’s nowhere to be seen. That fucker just stole his wallet!

Bobby tries to calm himself down - all he had in there were membership cards and some cash, he’s smart enough to keep his bank card and all the other important cards in the case for his phone. He could deal with a few dollars lost - but he’s still fucking pissed. It’s a bad start to the day.

The day moves by so fast, Bobby working diligently on the music and so deep into the work-trance that he completely forgets about the time. He zones out, wanting to finish work before he has to leave for the weekend and as time pushes close to nine in the evening he suddenly realizes that it has gone dark outside. He saves his work, one glance at his phone quickly revealing that he’s late. Jinhwan has been hammering the text button, that’s for sure - starting off calm and ending with him threatening to kick his ass if he doesn’t show up soon. Typical Jinhwan really.

He has no time to properly fix himself up - threading his fingers through his hair which has held up from the morning’s styling. Bobby does have an interest in fashion, though it’s nothing too extreme, but he thought he did look good enough for a night out without having to run back home and change.

He spots them outside the Octagon, the place already buzzing with life when he arrives. Jinhwan is the one that waves him over, the shorter man pushing past Yunhyeong and Chanwoo to get to him.

“Pinch me,” Jinhwan yells too loud, “Have I passed out drunk already?”

“Nah,” Chanwoo replies, “I think we’re all witnessing the end of the world,”

“Fucking hilarious,” Bobby rolls his eyes, “You’re all comedians,” he found it strange how they were all standing out here - he’s like fifteen minutes late, why aren’t they inside? Why was Chanwoo here though - Bobby remembers Jinhwan saying something about the other being busy with filming in Jeju. That’s strange. Bobby doesn’t think too much about it as they move inside - it’s been such a long time since Bobby last visited the Octagon, and that was with Mino if he remembers correctly.

 It’s surprising to see that Donghyuk isn’t there - he was the one that had been nagging Bobby the most about showing up. Perhaps he was running late too, it was possible with all the training he was currently doing.

“Let’s head into the main hall,” Jinhwan grabs his wrist almost too tight, dragging him along with a newfound eagerness and Bobby stumbles after the other. Their behavior seems odd - even Chanwoo is acting strange as Bobby throws a glance at him, questioning what the smaller man was doing. He only gets a shrug and a small smile as a response and _that_ was strange for someone like Chanwoo who spent all his waking hours constantly talking. The doors are pulled open and Bobby only has a second to glance over at the smaller before the whole place lights up.

“ _Surprise_!” Bobby’s heart ceases to beat in his chest as the volume rises the moment he steps inside - his eyes go wide, hand moving up to his chest as he recovers from the initial shock. The place is crowded with people that he knows. What the fuck was going on? What even was this? He spots banners everywhere, some with pictures of him and others spelling out ‘ _Congratz on the concert’_. So this is what it was about. He feels pats on his shoulders, Donghyuk laughing right next to him and Chanwoo shoving a camera in his face to capture his reaction. Bobby could expect seeing those pictures all over social media later.

“Now, listen up!” Jinhwan says as he manages to get up behind the DJ booth, fingers tapping against the mic to make sure it was on. “You all know why we are here, but let me tell you all again that Bobster here, managed to land himself his first concert!” Jinhwan raises his glass and everyone else follows - Bobby is still trying to work through the shock and the surprise. “It’s well deserved, Bobby. Congratulations!” how on earth they managed to pull this together was beyond him - he hadn’t even told anyone about the concert yet, his mind busy with other things.

“I’m so proud of you!” Jinhwan cries as he manages to scramble down from the stage, arm heavy across Bobby’s shoulders before he pulls him into a tight hug. “Your first _arena_ concert nonetheless! I’m… I just-,”

“Don’t cry, hyung,” it earns him a punch in the shoulder for retaliation and Bobby chuckles.

“I’m not!” he spins around so fast that even Bobby got dizzy, raising his finger to the youngest of them, “Don’t say anything,” he warns, eyes narrowing. Chanwoo only chuckles, trying to play off as innocent. It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last - those two bicker more than anyone Bobby has ever met.

“I wasn’t going to,”

“Yes, you were,” Jinhwan replies, “You’re like the devil,”

“I believe that’s offensive to the devil,” Yunhyeong points out.

The party picks up quickly - it’s not like Octagon fails to deliver a good time, that’s for sure. Bobby’s constantly snatched away by people who want to talk to him, most of them congratulating him and Bobby’s honestly still stunned, constantly wondering how Jinhwan and Donghyuk managed to pull this off when he only got the news about the concert a few days ago. Not to mention that they managed to rent out Octagon as well. He has some powerful friends, that’s for sure.

It doesn’t take long until the party really turns up - Bobby takes it as his queue to head back to his friends when he’s unable to hear what the people are saying around him. Yunhyeong was hanging around by the bar, chatting with a dancer that had been working on the singer’s last performance. Yunhyeong had talked quite a bit about her. Bobby opts for Jinhwan and Chanwoo instead who had settled down by the tables in a side room.  

“What’s up?” Bobby asks as he settles down - Jinhwan’s busy looking through the menus and Chanwoo is looking more than annoyed as he shifts to look at the smaller of them.

“I think he’s hitting on me, man,” Jinhwan says, not even bothering to look up as he continues to flip through the different drinks. “But I ain’t interested. Tell him I ain’t interested and make him go away,” Bobby questioning look was met by a clearly annoyed one as Chanwoo sighs so loudly that it even overpowers the music.

“Hitting on you?” Chanwoo sounds offended, “I am not hitting on you, you relic,”

“Hey, name-calling is no way to win someone’s heart,”

“What are you talking about?”

“What are _you_ talking about?”

“I was talking about the fact that Bobby’s having his own concert! How is that hitting on you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Chanwoo looks to Bobby who can do nothing else but to shrug because he sure as hell doesn’t know what is going on either.

“Is it just me, or do they get weirder every time I see them?” Mino asks as he approaches, “Hey, congratulations, man,” Bobby shakes his hand. Mino’s looking good - it’s been too long since they were able to meet up but they have both been busy with their own individual stuff and meeting up was hard when you were in different countries. The fact that Mino had even been able to come on such a short notice was close to unbelievable.

“Oh my god, hyung!” Chanwoo cries out as he pushes past Bobby, hand on his chest and pure disgust covering his face. “What’s that hideous thing growing out of your neck?” Yunhyeong’s eyes widens, a hand brought up to feel what the heck Chanwoo was talking about. Bobby can only roll his eyes.

“Where?” Yunhyeong asks, “Where?”

“Oh, nevermind,” Chanwoo shrugs, “It’s just your head,” Mino bursts out laughing as Yunhyeong looks done with pretty much everything. Even Bobby can’t stop himself from laughing as the other man’s face sours, a glare burning holes into Chanwoo who was laughing so hard that he had to bend forward and rest his hand on his knees.

“I hate you so much,”

Jinhwan is quite the wild one - get some alcohol in him and he turns into the pink stupid duracell bunny that’s shown in advertisements on the TV. He’s all over the place - Bobby spots him by the bar only to seconds later see him taking on the dance floor by storm. It’s funny really, because Chanwoo’s running after him as if he’s looking after a five-year-old kid.

Donghyuk’s keeping an eye on him - he thinks Bobby doesn’t notice, but it’s hard to miss the other constantly glancing over at him. Bobby is feeling fine however - people around him might be drinking but he feels in control, he feels relaxed and happy and no urge whatsoever. It even surprises him because it is the main factor that he always worries about when he goes out. The alcohol.

He can’t help but to feel slightly disappointed as he looks over the crowd - there are only people there that he knows but there is one face that he’s missing, one he had kind of hoped would show a little more than the others. It’s understandable though that he couldn’t show, he’s just as busy as Bobby, but still. He hasn’t seen him for a long time. The life of a producer is pretty hectic.

He tries to block out his constant thoughts as a girl approaches him - he has seen her at the company before, and she’s sweet, just like all the other girls Bobby has talked to. That’s where it usually ends though; they’re sweet, he finds them attractive, but he never seems to feel that connection that Yunhyeong always talks about. ‘Man, we clicked so well!’ he usually exclaims as he introduces a new girlfriend of his - what the fuck is this damn connection though? Is Bobby simply awkward or simply not clicking with anyone.

“That’s enough, hyung!” Chanwoo yells near the bar, holding the drink high up in the air so that Jinhwan can’t reach it. “If you’re not telling him, I will!”

“No!” Jinhwan’s tugging at his clothes, “You can’t ruin this for him, you- you moose! I have this planned out!”

“Don’t tell me what to do, midget!” Chanwoo walks away with no trouble and Bobby’s curiosity takes over as his gaze follows the youngest in the group of friends. He stops next to Yunhyeong, tapping him on the shoulder before he leans in to whisper in his ear. Bobby sees Yunhyeong’s face twist into pure shock and over to disgust as he takes a step away from the girl - wow, that couldn’t have been good news, could it? Bobby doesn’t really want to know. He doesn’t bother with things like this.

Jinhwan is soon there by Yunhyeong’s side, trying to explain the situation and Bobby takes it as his cue to head over to Donghyuk instead. He seems to be in a rather intense discussion with Jinwoo.

“Jiwon-hyung!” Bobby spins around, eyes wide as the voice tears through the loud music. No way. He spots him coming down the stairs in full speed and Bobby can’t even believe it. It’s Hanbin, it really is Hanbin coming down those stairs. Bobby pushes past the people in his way and wraps his oldest friend into his arms. Hanbin’s hugs are tight, almost suffocatingly so, but damn does it feel good. “I’m so sorry I’m so late,” he apologizes, “The flight was delayed,” it is only first now that Bobby really pays attention as to what the other was wearing. Yeah, he definitely came directly from the airport.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Bobby’s still in disbelief as he watches the other. Hanbin’s grin brightens up his entire face even though he looks tired from the flight. “What… how…”

“Jinhwan called and told me the news,” Hanbin replies, “So of course I had to fly in when he said there was going to be a surprise party to celebrate,” Hanbin flew in just for that? He sat on a thirteen hour flight just to celebrate his achievements? Bobby can’t even fathom the thought. Which leaves him to wonder if they all knew about the concert before he even did because they certainly couldn’t have planned all this under a 42-hour period. There’s no way. “Congratulations, hyung,” he says, pulling Bobby in for another tight hug. “I’m so proud of you,” Bobby blinks as he feels the annoying sting of tears welling up in his eyes - it means so much coming from Hanbin. He manages to blink them away as Hanbin pulls away.

“Thank you, Hanbin,” he reaches out to ruffle his messy hair before his arms comes to rest comfortably around his shoulders.

“So,” Hanbin says, “What have I missed? Has Jinhwan killed Chanwoo yet?”

“He’s pretty damn close,” Bobby chuckles. “At this rate I think Yunhyeong is going to join him.”

Their friends seem just as surprised as Bobby to see Hanbin coming, all of them flying up from the couches and he even hears Jinhwan roar from the dance floor. They all end up in a tight group hug and Bobby thinks that this is the highlight of the night - having all of his closest friends there. Chanwoo flew in from Japan and even Hanbin, who had been working in Los Angeles for the past six months managed to come. He’s beyond thankful.

Hanbin tells him all about his adventures in L.A, or more or less how he spent most of his waking hours in the studio. Hanbin has always put work ahead of socializing, much like Bobby himself. They are both awkward people, which must be why they’ve stuck together ever since they met in high school. There are few people Bobby feels like he can really confide in, Hanbin and his other close friends being the few that he really talks to. They seem to have him figured out enough to know when he’s feeling down or when he needs some cheering up. He’s not sure where he would be without his friends.

He met Jinhwan when he first joined the company - the singer being the one more than willing to socialize and try to get to know him whilst Bobby had kind of pushed him away. Not because he wanted to, but because the other was so forward and Bobby wasn’t. Now in hindsight though he finds it kind of funny. They’re polar opposites, but he’s glad that he has come to find Jinhwan as one of his closest friends. The elder is often away however, successful career on his own and tours to work on.

As he looks over his group of friends, it strikes him what an odd group of people they are; Jinhwan the successful singer, Chanwoo’s busy with his acting career and Hanbin throwing out number #1 songs and Yunhyeong’s career as a model is picking up. They’re all within the entertainment industry and they all deal with it differently. Bobby probably having it a little rougher than the others. Chanwoo enjoys the spotlight - he basks in the glory of walking the red carpet and Jinhwan was born to be on stage, it’s like his second nature. Hanbin knows what to say when things get hard, he knows how to deal with negativity whilst Bobby… well, he’s plain awkward.

He’s still young, he still has a lot to learn and a lot of hardships to get past - but he has been doing well and he’s proud of where he is now. He knows the others are too.

Bobby loses track of time - the evening has turned into one of the best nights of his life as he catches up with his friends. He doesn’t know why he was so worried earlier it is only when Chanwoo points out that he has to head back to his apartment as he has to catch an early flight that Bobby realizes what time it actually is. He watches as Chanwoo leads Jinhwan away after they say their goodbyes, the youngest offering to take him home as they live in the same complex. Bobby leaves as the party is drawing to an end, clock close to three in the morning and Hanbin leaning heavily on him almost half asleep. Bobby manages to hail a cab for him, hugging the other tight before they say their goodbyes. He still cannot believe that Hanbin flew in just to celebrate the announcement of his concert.  

Bobby takes the bus home - he’s not alone, a poor drunk sitting at the very back and a pair of giggling girls somewhere behind him. His gaze lingers on the drunk man as he shifts, slumped over and he can’t quite tell if he’s awake or not, but he spots the liquor bottle clutched tightly in his hand. Bobby’s own stomach turns as the strong scent that takes over the bus and he stops himself from thinking too much about how different his life could’ve been.

He gets off fairly quickly, the night air still fresh in his lungs as he heads toward his complex. It’s not often that he gets to take the bus, mainly for security reasons, but he enjoys it when he does. It’s just something calming about busses - Jinhwan had said it was strange, but Bobby spent most his childhood riding busses between his parents and it was there he took the time to write and listen to music.

He’s too deep into his own thoughts to properly pay attention to the sound of footsteps behind him and his breath is knocked out of him as he’s pushed against the brick wall. Four people are surrounding him, four younger boys that he’s sure he’s seen before. His heart rate picks up the moment he spots something glimmer in one of the kids’ hands. This was no longer about a simple shove to get him out of the way - this time it is way more serious. He’s thrown back to his own teenage days as he watches the boys and it is not a good feeling.

“Hand over your wallet,” one warns. They have made sure to cover their faces to escape trouble but Bobby still know who it is - it’s the same rude guy that had bumped into him and called him an asshole. His gaze falls as the kid steps closer, knife clearly pointing directly at his stomach. “Do it!” he orders.

“I don’t have any money on me,” Bobby manages to push out; _some fucker already stole it._ He recognizes these teenagers - they were the same ones that had bumped into him the night before.

“Do you think we’re fucking stupid? We know who you are,” another points out.

There’s a loud growl that causes them all to halt and look to the side - Bobby’s gaze lands on a very familiar dog only a few meters away from them. It’s the folded ear that confirms that it’s the same dog Bobby had helped earlier. It’s growling loudly and as they turn to look it starts running straight for them, barking as it does so. Bobby presses up against the wall as it jumps up, jaws locking tight around the arm of the guy that’s holding the knife. He howls in pain as the dog tugs. Bobby takes it as his que to run, so he does. He’s not sticking around when these kids are carrying sharp objects - he’s not fucking stupid.

It is only when a sharp whine tears through the night that Bobby comes to a halt. The dog. He can’t leave it behind - it had helped him just as Bobby had helped it the other day. Bobby turns and heads back without hesitation - as he rounds the corner he notices that the kids had already ran off but the dog is still there, lying motionless on the ground. Bobby comes to the painful realization that perhaps they hurt it enough to kill it. God, he hopes that isn’t the case as he walks closer. It moves when it hears him coming, trying to get up but quickly realizing that it can’t and once again stills. Bobby’s heart breaks at the sight - this poor dog can’t seem to catch a break. He can’t leave it here this time - he contemplates calling the emergency vet, but as he does, all he can get is a busy signal followed by a voice mail that they open in the morning again due to personal reasons. Bobby sucks in a deep breath as he kneels down by the dog’s side - it only looks up at him, no longer growling and barking as it had done yesterday.

“Please don’t bite me,” Bobby whispers out as he wraps his jacket around it. The dog remains completely still, much to his surprise - it certainly hadn’t hesitated to snap at him when he had tried to help it the previous night. Didn’t the cops bring it to a vet or something? Had the dog ran away before they got there - it had seemed too hurt to even get up when Bobby had looked it over. There’s blood staining the fur around its mouth and Bobby feels kind of bad as he hopes that the dog tore that arm wide open.

“Come on,” Bobby says, gently trying to lift the dog up, it whimpers loudly in his arms as Bobby starts to slowly walk. “I’m bringing you home. I’ll take you to the vet first thing in the morning,” it’s surprisingly light in his arms for being such a big dog - but it is when Bobby holds it that he figures that thanks to the fur it doesn’t quite show how skinny it actually is. “You’re a brave one,” Bobby says, the dog has fallen silent now. “Quite lionhearted,”

It is during times like these that he really should call the landlord and complain over the small fact that the elevator isn’t working. Carrying a big dog up fourteen flights of stairs sure was a challenge and Bobby was panting as if he had ran a fucking marathon as he stops outside his door. He really should quit the smoking.

“You owe me for this one,” he gasps, the dog only snorts in his arms.

He tries to gather blankets in the living room for the dog to lie on through the night. Bobby has no clue how to take care of a dog, yet alone an injured one so he consults Google, which he really shouldn’t have done because shit, the symptoms he types in only results in cancer. Brilliant. He does however come across an article for dogs that are dehydrated. He has no clue how long that dog has been on the streets - but water is certain to be contaminated and nasty around here so he follows the instructions to mix water and sugar which should get it back on track fairly quickly.

“Drink it,” he orders as he puts the bowl down next to the dog. It stares at him, head tilted to the side as if it’s questioning his very existence. Urgh, that floppy ear though - no, focus. “You have to drink it,” it huffs at him before it tries to shift to the side, away from the bowl. “No, no, no - you’re _going_ to drink it. It will help,” the dog is not going to drink the mixture he made - that much was clear, so Bobby gets up from the floor and heads into the kitchen. He searches through all the drawers for the marinade syringe his uncle had gifted him when he moved in (fucking useless, because he never used it) but if there was time to use it, he supposed it was now. He filled it with the mixture and as he walked back to the dog, it must’ve heard him rummaging through the kitchen because suddenly it starts to growl again as if it knows what he’s supposed to do. Fine, if it wants to be difficult, Bobby can be too. He pulls on a hoodie and grabs his oven mitts because he’s certainly not giving up.

He settles down next to the dog, fingers circling around its foreface and thumbs carefully trying to push its mouth open - its struggling trying to get out of his grip, but too much movement causes it to whimper and it stills. That doesn’t mean that it’s going to cooperate however, mouth clenched shut tight. Bobby manages to get it open however and gets the syringe in, pushing the content into it’s mouth quickly before it gets free.

“See,” Bobby pants as he throws the marinade syringe to the side, “That wasn’t so bad,” he swears the dog is glaring at him. It remains still in Bobby’s lap however, which was quite surprising since it had been spending most of the time trying to fight him off. Bobby takes off the oven mitts, fingers threading through the thick fur - but that seems to be all the dog could tolerate because suddenly it nips after him. “Okay, I won’t touch you,” Bobby leans back, letting himself rest against the couch as he watches the dog move away from him. Quite a stingy dog, that’s for sure - Bobby doesn’t know much about Huskies, or dogs in general for that matter, but are they all like that? “Seems like you can’t catch a break, huh?” he mumbles, he hasn’t missed the fact that the dog’s right front leg seems swollen. He’s definitely going to take it to the vet in the morning - it’s not his dog either, someone might be looking for it. He somehow doubts it, because he’s spotted it on the street two times already - but he rather be safe than sorry.

The following morning Bobby wakes up refreshed and ready for a Saturday morning. He gets up, arms stretching up in the air to fix the slight tension in his back. It’s a good morning, he’s always enjoyed Saturday mornings for some reason, perhaps it’s because he knows he doesn’t have to do shit for the entire day. Not that he’s lazy or anything, but working stressful weeks littered with appearances to events and etcetera, it’s kind of nice to just have a day to breathe. Especially since Bobby isn’t a people person, hanging out kind of takes it out of him at times.

“You doing okay, bud?” he asks as he kneels down by the dog. It’s still lying in the living room on all the blankets Bobby had gathered for it - ears shifting to follow the sound of him walking around the apartment. It seems to do alright, though it’s hard to tell when it is barely moving. It’s awake at the very least. Bobby pulls a shirt over his head and changing from pajama pants to proper jeans - he already has plans for the day, first one being taking this dog down to the vet to let them deal with it. “Okay, let’s get going,” Bobby claps his hands together, not missing how the dog flinches in surprise. He moves closer, leaning down to carry it but he halts the moment it starts growling at him again. This dog. What the heck. It’s like permanently stuck in PMS mode.

“Don’t you dare bite me,” he raises his finger at the dog, “I have to take you to the vet - _you’re injured_ ,” the dog only growls at him before it starts to shift, slowly but surely getting up from the floor. Bobby blinks - okay, so it will walk on its own then. Thank god he doesn’t have to carry it again. “You sure?” the dog only limps past him and Bobby doesn’t even know why the heck he bothers talking to it because he knows it’s not going to answer.

The limp is bad, the Husky barely putting any weight on its injured leg, but it’s not like Bobby can do anything about it either when the dog refuses to let him touch it more than a few seconds. It takes them a good thirty minutes to get down to the garage where Bobby has his car parked.

Bobby has never been to a veterinarian office before but it certainly reminds him of the hospitals for humans. Same sterile surroundings and same tension lingering in the air. Bobby looks down at the Husky that remains still on the examination table as they wait for the vet - he hopes they can take care of it properly and that they will find a good home for it. He feels kind of bad now that he thinks about it because this dog helped him out, there’s no denying it. If it hadn’t attacked those delinquents, he probably would be lying dead in an alley somewhere. Bobby kind of feels as if he owes it something.

“Well, there is a slight fracture in it’s leg as well as bruising on the ribcage,” the vet mumbles as she skims through the notes. “It's not a severe fracture so it won’t require surgery,” oh, that’s good. “I will wrap it up for support. I suggest short walks, no stairs or jumping up furnitures until next scheduled appointment-,”

“No, wait a minute,” Bobby interrupts, “This is not my dog, I don’t own it,” the vet pauses. “I found it on the streets,”

“I see,” she sighs, “Well, what I can do is scan the microchip to alert local shelters, centers and police offices to see if they have gotten any ‘missing’ reports,” Bobby nods, “Do you not wish to care for it in the meantime?” Bobby’s gaze shifts to the dog that is still staring at him. It whines; oh man, good job at making him him feel guilty. It’s folded ear still not rising up as the other one which only makes it look sadder and man, Bobby’s not heartless. “I’m afraid space at the centers and shelters are very limited at this moment and if what you are saying is true about it being aggressive, there’s a possibility that we have to-,”

“Fine,” Bobby grumbles out. It’s so difficult though - he’s not even allowed to touch it without it trying to bite him. But… if it is only until they are able to locate the original owner, Bobby guesses he’ll be able to live through it. What would it take, a couple of days? More than that and he will personally drive it down to a shelter - he has work to worry about too, he can’t handle a dog. “I’ll bring it back home with me,”

Bobby’s good morning turns sour pretty fast as he watches the dog lying on his couch. It’s stubborn and annoying and does the complete opposite despite Bobby’s desperate attempts to follow the vet’s instructions. It jumped up on the furnitures, it’s constantly moving as if it’s restless but absolutely _refuses_ to go out - Bobby even hunted it around his apartment to try and get the leash on. Never has he seen a dog so unwilling to go out before. It’s ridiculous. Bobby’s sulking in the kitchen, arms folded across his chest as he glares at the dog that’s staring right back at him in the living room. It thinks it’s so smart but Bobby’s smarter.

He’s read all about Huskies and their pesky behavior - he’s gonna have to show who's the boss in this house or this stupid dog is going to continue making his life harder than it needs to be. It even looks as if it’s challenging him - what happened to the sweet behavior at the vet’s office? Bobby snorts - this dog sure knows how to play him.

“I need a name for you,” Bobby mumbles as he heads into the living room - it’s not like he can keep on referring to it simply as ‘dog’. What the heck is he going to call it though? Buster? No, it doesn’t look like a Buster. Charlie? Julie? “Suggestions?” the dog only tilts its head to the side like it usually does when Bobby’s talking to it. Bobby can’t seem to get over that floppy ear either. It's cute - he's not denying it.  _Focus, Bobby,_ he tells himself, _think of names_. June, he figures, that’s a pretty neutral name, isn’t it, because he has no clue if this is a girl or a boy and he's not planning on looking either. It’s also the month of June, so it fits pretty well, besides - Bobby doesn’t have the mental capacity to think of something better after the shitty day he’s had. “Is June okay?” _it’s not like it’s going to answer you,_ he thinks as he watches the dog. “So,” he says, holding up the leash, “Want to go out?” the dog leaps of the couch with a new-found energy as Bobby approaches. It’s injured and it moves like it’s ready to run for ten miles, Bobby can’t believe this. It rather limp around to get away from him than to simply go out for five minutes.

“Why are you being so fucking difficult?” Bobby growls out, giving up and dropping the leash completely. This fucking dog, Jesus Christ. It sits down in the other end of the hallway, head tilted to the side and folded ear still not rising up like the other and fuck. Bobby is a weak person, okay, he can’t stay mad at a dog with a floppy ear. He’s not inhuman. “Fine, stay in here then, I don’t care,” his eyes narrows as he stares at the dog, “But I’m warning you - if you pee in my apartment, you’re out,” he drags his finger across his throat to make his point come across loud and clear.

 It doesn’t get any easier the next day either - Bobby wakes up to the sound of a crash and met by the sight of a broken vase out in the hall. His hands clenches to fists by his sides as he tries to suck in a deep breath to calm his raging heart. This is unbelievable - he tries to help that stupid dog and this is what he gets in return? No. It’s not staying a day longer. He stomps into the kitchen, fingers locking tight around his phone as he searches through his call list.

“Hanbin,” Bobby says into the phone as he settles down by the table, fingers tapping against the wooden surface as he glares at the wall, too angry to even bother to look toward the living room where the dog probably is. “I think I’m going insane,”

“Shocking,” the other laughs.

“It’s not funny,” Bobby retaliates, “I got a dog,”

“You what?” Hanbin sounds shocked in the other end of the phone. “You have a dog? Why didn’t you tell me?” because it happened only a few hours ago.

“You’re a dog person, please help me,” Bobby pleads. “The dog fucking hates me,” Bobby grumbles, fingers tight around his mug of coffee and mouth pressed into a thin line of clear disapproval. Here he was, thinking he was being kind and helping the poor thing out and what does he get in return? Growling and snapping. He’s taking that dog straight to the shelter the moment they open in the morning. Hopefully they’ll be able to handle it better than he was.

“Maybe it doesn’t trust you,” Hanbin points out.

“No, it hates me,”

“Are you sure?”

“It tipped over my grandmother’s vase during the night, Bin - I’m telling you the dog is out to get me,”

“Alright, I’m coming over,” Bobby’s not quite sure what he would do without Hanbin. Perhaps the other could take this pesky dog off his hands. He’s sick and tired of it and it has only been a day. Hanbin cries when an animal dies on TV, he’s the type of guy to deal with all this, not Bobby. His routines have gone out the window, he barely got any sleep not to mention that the dog had ruined his grandmother’s vase. It was fucking hideous, but still, it had belonged to his grandmother.

“Where did you go?” he roars, mind set on finding the dog to give it a piece of his mind. “June!” he searches through the entire apartment, puzzled as he can’t seem to find the large dog. That’s strange - it’s not like it’s easy for it to hide either. Bobby ends up looking through the most unbelievable spots and ends up finding June under his bed. “Hey,” he says, “Why are you under here?”

It’s whimpering, but it sounds so different from what Bobby had heard back in the alley - back there it had sounded as if it was in pain. Now it sounds… scared. June’s ears are pressed against his head and he’s watching Bobby’s every move as if he’s afraid that he’s going to do something. Clearly, he knows he had done something wrong or it wouldn’t be hiding like this. Bobby frowns however, why the sudden change? June wasn’t scared of him… was he?

“You can come out,” Bobby tries, sounding as calm as he could possibly be in a situation like this. “It’s okay, I’m not mad,” he sees the ears rising slightly, but June makes no attempt to come out. Bobby hasn’t really been thinking too much about June’s behavior - it tries to bite him when he wants to pet it, it keeps away from him when possible and always watches his every move. How on earth he didn’t suspect something earlier was beyond him. “I promise, it’s fine,” he tries to add and even pushes out a smile. “How about you come out, and I’ll fix you some food, hm?” June’s whole demeanor changes at the mention of food and Bobby can’t help but to chuckle. It slowly starts to move out from under the bed, but it still seems scared of him.

“It’s okay,” Bobby says, hand rising to try and pet it. The dog flinches and moves away from him, settling down in the corner of the room and Bobby tries to tell himself that it’s not his heart breaking in his chest but something else. That’s not a very good sign, is it? Bobby can visibly see it tremble. “I’m not going to hurt you, you know that right?” he says, “I will never hurt you,”

Bobby cleans up the mess in the hallway after that, thoughts never really leaving June and the incident that had just occurred. He hopes he didn’t scare the dog too bad - but it seemed as if this was something that had happened previously - June knew he had been in the wrong and ran to hide to avoid punishment. Bobby doesn’t really want to know what the previous punishments for the dog had been.

Hanbin arrives shortly after, looking rather eager to meet the new dog as he pushes past Bobby the minute he opens the door. Bobby kind of wishes he had the passion for animals that Hanbin does - but then again, he kind of doesn’t because if all dogs were like June he would go insane within an hour. Bobby sighs almost heavily as he leads Hanbin into the living room where he last saw the Husky resting.

“June! Meet Hanbin- June?” the dog was nowhere to be found - that’s strange, he was here just a moment ago. “June? Where did you go?”

“June?” Hanbin questions, eyebrow rising as he watches the elder.

“Well, it’s the month of June, so you know…”

“Wow, super creative, hyung. Well done,”

“Shut up,” Bobby punches him in the shoulder and skinny as he is, Hanbin stumbles back. It doesn’t take forever to locate June this time as Bobby had kind of figured out the preferred hiding spots in his apartment. “What are you doing under there?” Bobby mumbles, quite bewildered by the fact that June even managed to press under his bed - he was quite a big dog and his bed is a low one. He’s also puzzled, because why would the dog get back under the bed when he just coaxed it to come back out? Hanbin kneels down next to him, peeking beneath the bed out of pure curiosity. As soon as he does so, a low growl erupts from the Husky. “Hey!” Bobby warns, “Behave!”

“Okay,” Hanbin breathes out as he sits back up again, hands resting on his thighs and gaze surprisingly serious for someone like him. “That’s a Hybrid,” Bobby blinks.

“What? No it’s not…”

“I'm telling you that's a Hybrid, look at the tags in its ears,” Bobby leans down again, looking at the dog that’s suddenly trying to turn around to get out of Bobby’s sight. He sees the tags in it’s ears and he can’t believe he didn’t realize it sooner. It really was a fucking Hybrid hiding under his bed. “You seriously didn’t know?”

“It’s a stray,” Bobby admits, “I found it on the streets - it’s not like I automatically think that it’s a Hybrid,”

“Hyung,” Hanbin actually sounds worried when he speaks, “You’re going to get in trouble if you’re keeping someone else’s Hybrid here,” he knows that already, he’s not stupid. Bobby groans as he gets up from the floor - he can’t believe this. He’s going to have to deal with a Hybrid now? And he thought the dog was difficult enough - imagine dealing with a human _slash_ a dog. Why didn’t the vet tell him that this was a Hybrid - surely she must’ve noticed? Perhaps she assumed he was clever enough to know it, but no, clearly he wasn’t. “Man, you better report this one in soon because I don’t think Huskies are particularly common,” the rarer the Hybrid the more expensive - Donghyuk had told him all about it when his parents had contemplating buying one.

“Yeah,” Bobby grumbles as he stands up, “I’ll do it immediately,” he hadn’t been thinking about the tags in its ears because they had partially been hidden beneath the folded ear and it’s not like the dog was going to let him touch it either.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Hanbin asks as they stand by the door. He looks as if he’s contemplating on staying as he glances over to Bobby’s bedroom, but Bobby already knows that Hanbin is a busy person and he stopped by only because he was heading down to the studio.

“Yes, I’ll be fine,” Bobby insists, “Now go, I know you have better things to do,” Hanbin doesn’t have a chance to reply to him before Bobby closes the door - mind already set on what he has to do. He can’t believe that no one told him that this was a fucking Hybrid, but mostly he can’t believe he was stupid enough to not figure it out himself. He glares at the Hybrid, arms crossed over his chest. “You better turn right now,” he orders, but the Hybrid tries to play off innocent. Nice try, Bobby’s not falling for it. “I’m going to turn around and count to ten, okay?” Bobby narrows his eyes as he stares at the dog, “You better have turned by then or so help me god, I’ll drag you down to the Center right now - I don’t care if you’re a Hybrid or not, I’ll take you down there,”

The dog is not changing. Bobby lets out a frustrated sigh, hands landing on his hips. “Fine,” he pushes out, “Fine, I’ll go call them,” he turns and walks into the kitchen. He’s almost furiously tapping the number in, too agitated to go easy on the fragile and worn out phone. He can’t believe this - how could he not have realized it sooner that it was a fucking Hybrid he had been taking care of? He’s so fucking gullible it’s ridiculous. He’s also angry because this Hybrid had been playing him good - he’s not sure if it’s because it needed a place to stay or someone to pay for all the expenses or something, but Bobby is _not_ , absolutely _not,_ going to keep a Hybrid in his apartment. He barely accepted handling the dog for a few days.

“ _Welcome to the Gangnam Hybrid Center, how can I help you?_ ” it’s a female voice, a calm and gentle one and yes, Bobby doesn’t feel bad about this at all. His gaze rises as something catches in his peripheral vision. There’s someone standing in the doorway and it is certainly not the dog anymore. Bobby brings the phone away from his ear, hanging up in the process as he’s staring at a younger man around his age - raven colored hair and cold blue eyes. He slowly rises from his chair and the stranger takes a step back on pure instinct. He’s looking worried as he fiddles with the hems of the sleeves of his shirt.

“You!” Bobby hisses, finger pointing accusingly at the other, “You’re the one who stole my wallet!”

Oh my god, his fucking luck.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part is up. I hope you enjoy it :]
> 
> As I state in the tags, this is quite a dark story with many triggering elements to it (such as abuse, alcoholism, trauma and mental struggles), so I hope you're cautious and pay attention to the tags as well as the rating as you read this story.  
> Please tell me what you think, and thank you for reading.


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